Tick-tock
by Queen Bookworm the First
Summary: The story of Fenrir's mother, and how she breaks away with each tick-tock. Thanks to Sophie, Arty, and Rowan for beta'ing! For Tiggs.


Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition: Round 11

Team: Kenmare Kestrels

Position: Seeker

Prompt: Write a Hurt/Comfort/angst story with no romance that starts and ends with the same last word.

Drabble Club: clock (item)

Greek Mythology Category Competition: Leta: Write about a mother.

Hp's World Quidditch Pitch: Angst, Family

Quidditch Pitch: She waited for him. (sentence)

 **AN:** This fic is for Tiggs. Her story "Saving the Wolf" sorta inspired this. Hope you like it, Tiggs!

* * *

 _Tick-tock._

Sonia glanced at the clock, dropping the plate she was washing.

 _Tick-tock._

Flashes of a boy watching the clock ran through her mind, and she closed her eyes, sighing. She wondered if the sun would ever come back out.

 _Tick-tock._

She didn't hear the plate shatter. She didn't see the ivory shards fall at her feet.

 _Tick-tock._

She only saw the clock.

 _Tick-tock._

* * *

 _Fenrir leaped up on the table, snarling. His eyes, dark as the night, were frenzied, a spark of light shining in the depths of black, much like the moon._

 _His eyes were night, and hers were day. The sun only appeared when she was around Fenrir. She knew he liked seeing the sun. He didn't like it when the sun hid behind clouds._

 _It had always just been day and night. There was no one else; Fenrir's father had left her before Fenrir was born, leaving her a single mother._

" _Fenrir," she called, reaching out to stroke her son's head. "Off the table."_

 _His gaze was fixed on the old grandfather clock, head swinging ever so slightly to the sway of the pendulum. The glass, dusted with only a few spatters of grime, twinkled in the dim light pouring through the foggy windows. The wood, a dull shade of burgundy, was covered in dust, the wine red peeking out like a shy child._

 _Tick-tock_.

 _Sonia pulled Fenrir off the table with a sigh, cupping his chin. She squatted down in front of him, meeting his gaze. "I want to see the clock," Fenrir said, his nails digging into her arms. He stared at her eyes, tilting his head. "Where's the sun?"_

" _The sun's hiding behind the clouds, Fenrir," she said, prying his hands off her arms. Her gaze flickered from down at the red lines that marred her pale skin to the bigger ones on his arms. "Do you know who made the clouds come?"_

 _He shook his head furiously, leaning in. "Not me." He took a deep breath. "Not me!"_

 _Sonia pursed her lips. "Yes, you." She pinched his cheek. "The clouds came because of you."_

 _Fenrir growled. "I want to see the sun!" He pulled her towards him, studying her eyes. "Make the clouds go away!"_

" _Only you can make the clouds go away, Fenrir." She sighed again, standing up._

" _How?" he asked, but his gaze was elsewhere. Sonia turned to the clock and smiled._

" _You know how."_

 _A small smile crept onto Fenrir's lips, but there was something in it that scared her. Something… feral. "I know how," he said, nodding. He hugged her, wrapping his arms around her legs. "Is the sun coming back now?" he asked, smiling up at her._

 _She took a deep breath before answering. "Maybe."_

 _Tick-tock._

* * *

"Stop," Sonia whispered. She shook her head. She looked down at the shattered plate, a small gasp escaping her lips. She grabbed a broom and swept up the shards, then dropped them in the dustbin. She wiped her hands on her skirt, gripping the coarse material. "Fenrir will be fine."

It had been twelve years since she'd shipped—no, there had to be a better word. She hadn't shipped him off, had she? She sighed and sat down, the _tick-tock_ of the clock echoing in the otherwise silent room.

 _Tick-tock._

She raised her head to watch the clock, swaying from side to side with the pendulum.

 _Tick-tock._

* * *

" _Hickory dickory dock. The mouse ran up the clock," she sang, pulling the worn blanket over Fenrir. He blinked slowly, tilting his head._

" _Where's the mouse?" he asked. Sonia frowned._

" _In the clock," she said._

" _Keep singing," he whispered. "The sun's going to hide soon."_

" _Hickory dickory dock. The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one, the mouse ran down, hickory dickory dock." She laid down beside him, wrapping her arms around him. Fenrir nuzzled_ _against_ _her, emitting a soft whine._

" _What happened next?" Fenrir pushed the blanket off of himse_ _lf and sat up._

 _Sonia tried to push him down. He snarled at her, lips curled back to reveal gleaming teeth with only the smallest hint of yellow. "Fenrir—" she started, but she was cut off by a howl. She stared at him as he leaped off the bed and crawled to the window._

 _Fenrir howled again, head raised to meet the light of the moon. Sonia slipped off the bed, eyes wide. "Fenrir, listen—"_

 _He turned around slowly and blinked, tilting his head. "Where's the sun?" His eyes were dilated, the hazy blue barely visible. It was only a thin ring around the black, and this time, there was no moon._

 _She shook her head and turned away, tendrils of fear squeezing her heart. When she turned around,_ _her son_ _had disappeared. "Fenrir!" She searched around, calling his name_ _over and over_ _again, only to get no response._

 _Finally, she stepped into the living room and sighed. Fenrir's figure, lit by the moonlight, was curled up on the couch._

 _Sonia leaned forward, taking Fenrir's weathered hand. It frightened her that her little boy had such… old—she was at a loss for a better word—hands. He was supposed to have pale, soft hands that she could kiss._

" _Fenrir, time for bed," she said, squeezing his hand. Fenrir jolted, but he didn't turn to face her. She followed his eyes to the clock._

Tick-tock.

 _Sonia flinched when the clock rang midnight, the bells echoing in the room. Th_ _e ticks_ _continued, never stopping. Fenrir jumped up and ran to the window, swiping his hand at the glass. She clapped her hands over her ears as he raked his fingers across the glass, howling._

 _Hickory Dickory dock,_

 _The mouse ran up the clock,_

 _As twelve bells rang,_

 _The mousie sprang,_

 _Hickory Dickory dock._

* * *

A knock jolted her out of the memory. Sonia stood up and walked to the door with a sigh. She opened it slightly and peeked out. A man stood outside, tapping his foot impatiently. His face brightened when seeing her.

"Miss… Greyback?" When she nodded, he pushed open the door, stepping in. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Healer Yreti from St. Mungo's."

Sonia's face paled as she furrowed her brows. "St. Mungo's?" she asked.

The Healer raised an eyebrow as he sat down across from her. "You admitted your son, Fenrir, to St. Mungo's." He regarded her with an inclined head. "Are you a Muggle?"

She felt her heart race at the mention of her son. "How is he?" She remembered the people in white robes, them talking. She remembered seeing Fenrir cry for her, cry for the sun, while she looked away, slipping a hopeful smile on her face for as long as she could.

"Your son… I can't say he's in the best state," the Healer said, taking a deep breath.

"What happened?" She stood up almost immediately.

"Miss, I take it you're a Muggle." The Healer sighed. "Your son is a werewolf."

"A… a werewolf?" A small laugh escaped her lips. "Don't be silly. My son… Fenrir isn't a werewolf!"

"I'm sorry, Miss, but it's true," the Healer said, placing a hand on her shoulder as she froze. "Fenrir broke out of St. Mungo's on the night of the full moon."

"No," Sonia whispered. "No… Fenrir… werewolf… no!" She clenched her jaw, trying not to cry. "Fenrir can't be a werewolf!"

"Miss, he was diagnosed about five years ago, but we didn't want to tell you, in case we found a… a cure. Now that he's escaped… well, we had to tell you," the Healer said.

"No." Sonia couldn't help but let a tear fall.

The clock's pendulum kept swinging.

 _Tick-tock._

She stared at the clock, head spinning. Everything seemed to go black…

 _Tick-tock._

* * *

 _She had cleaned up the_ _grandfather_ _clock a few days ago at Fenrir's insistence. The burgundy now gleamed proudly, and the sun stayed out. There were no clouds, and she hoped it would stay that way._

" _Fenrir," Sonia called from the kitchen. She peeked around the corner and gasped. Fenrir was on the table, stretching up to try to reach the pendulum. He tapped the glass, and with a growl, smashed it, sending shards flying everywhere. Sonia held back a scream as she rushed forward and tried to pull Fenrir away._

 _Tick-tock._

" _Oh, no. No, no, no." Sonia took a deep breath, trying to placate her racing heart. "You can't do that, Fenrir." She placed a hand on his arm, pulling him back._

 _Fenrir blinked at her before snarling, swiping his hand at her. He howled and bit into her arm, drawing a scream from her. When she let go of him, falling to the ground, he jumped up again, not even sparing_ _her a_ _glance. He raked his fingers across the wood, marring the proud burgundy._

 _Tick-tock._

" _No," Sonia whispered. Beads of blood swelled on the bite mark, the crimson running down her arm in trickles. "Fenrir."_

 _Tick-tock._

 _Fenrir turned around, tilting his head. When she tried to push herself up, sobbing, he jumped down and pinned her to the ground. He leaned in and studied her eyes. "Where's the sun?"_

 _She pressed her lips together and turned away, screwing her eyes shut. How had this happened? Fenrir batted at her face. "Where's the sun?" He growled. She pulled the phone to herself and dialed in a number, whispering a quick, "Help. He bit me. My son bit me."_

 _Tick-tock._

 _Sonia watched as people dressed in white robes burst in, pointing sticks at Fenrir. She watched as th_ _ey_ _carried him away as he howled for the sun._

 _Tick-tock._

 _Hickory Dickory dock,_

 _The mouse ran up the clock,_

 _As twelve bells rang,_

 _The mousie sprang,_

 _Hickory Dickory dock._

* * *

She blinked, pushing herself up. "Where am I?"

A woman wearing a kind smile looked down at her. "St. Mungo's, dear. You'll be fine."

"Fenrir!" she exclaimed, sitting up straight. "I need… I need to see Fenrir!"

The woman's expression turned morose as she pursed her lips. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Your son is gone."

She had never missed the _tick-tock_ of the clock before.

* * *

 _Tick-tock._

She returned home a few months later after the Healers had said she was fine. But she wasn't sure if she was fine; her whole life seemed to be a clock full of _tick-tocks,_ breaking with each tick.

 _Tick-tock._

She was left alone with only the _tick-tock_ of the clock for company _._

 _Tick-tock._

"Where are you, my moon?" she whispered. She wished she could hear Fenrir's " _Where's the sun?"_ Just one more time…

 _Tick-tock._

She flinched when she heard a knock. Blinking, she walked to the door with heavy steps. Hand closing around the cold doorknob, she took a deep breath, twisted it, and opened the door. A gasp escaped her lips when she saw who it was.

She could recognize those eyes anywhere, along with that tilted head. "Fenrir?" A smile crept onto her lips. She waited for him.

 _Tick-tock._

"Where's the sun, Mother?" Fenrir asked, baring his fangs. He smiled. "Where is the sun?" She trembled when he growled, stepping forward.

 _Tick-tock._

"Fenrir―" He snarled and jumped forward, pinning her to the ground. Licking his lips, he bit down on her neck as she screamed. Blood pooled around her.

 _Tick-tock._

Fenrir stood up, surveying his mother with disappointment. "No sun." He glanced up at the clock, and with a roar of frustration, jumped and pulled it down. It crashed down beside Sonia, the pendulum still swaying. He kicked her limp figure and closed the door behind him.

 _Tick-tock._

The sun never shone again.

 _Tick-tock._


End file.
